As we prepared to distribute this edition, hopeful media reports indicated that the return of NYC Transit subway and bus service, suspended by the strike by members of Transport Workers Union Local 100, might be only hours away. 

   We profess no expertise in labor relations, but offer these observations on the experience of and public discourse around the strike:

Contingency plans and traffic

The city’s tough HOV-4 rule and morning truck ban allowed the Manhattan street system to function during the traditional rush hour.  But the HOV rule’s suspension at 11 a.m. created mid-day traffic conditions far worse than any traditional rush hour, and made the evening commute period chaotic at best.  Some individuals who were able to join informal 4+ carpools to get into the central business district (CBD) were left out in the cold for the return trip, since the incentive for drivers to pick up passengers was gone.  In future transportation emergencies, the city should consider some variations, perhaps allowing HOV-4 or -3 vehicles in the morning rush and relaxing the rule only to HOV-2 at other times, rather than lifting the lid entirely at a known time.  That only caused gigantic single-occupant vehicle-queuing across a wide arc surrounding the CBD and then flooded the city with cars. 

   Much of Brooklyn was a traffic disaster throughout the strike. For future planning, officials may want to consider moving HOV checkpoints for major arterials like Flatbush Avenue further away from Manhattan.  While we observed, saw and read about unnumbered examples of the expected camaraderie of New Yorkers facing tough times, the feeling was balanced by equally countless scenes of reckless and aggressive driving we witnessed in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, including even more rampant red-light running than usual and some driving-on-sidewalks incidents. We hope this week does not end up exhibiting a big spike in injury-causing traffic crashes.

   Strangely, considering their role after Sept. 11, the city’s plans did not give ferries a strong role.  Ride-seekers overwhelmed the private Water Taxi service at the Brooklyn Army Terminal on Tuesday morning, eventually causing a demand-driven diversion of a Staten Island ferry. 

  Walking and cycling played big roles in keeping the city moving, but a little management by the city could have made it smoother. The Queensboro, Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges all have dual bike/ped-ways — separating out foot and bike traffic onto separate paths would have sped and encouraged cycling, while making the crossings safer for all.  Many people are apparently unaware of the Manhattan Bridge paths—a little direction by police and traffic agents could have diverted some of the dense throngs seen each day on the well-known Brooklyn Bridge promenade.  By Tuesday evening, bicycle shops across the city reported unusually strong late December business.

Regional transit

The strike may have led to a new appreciation by borough residents of the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains operating in their midst.  Local officials should follow up with pressure for long-term service plans that better serve city stations as major capacity improvements like LIRR East Side Access come closer.  The Metro-North station that was quickly cobbled together at Yankee Stadium will likely excite foes of the stadium redevelopment plan, which omits construction of a permanent station (see next page).

   During the strike, the Port Authority was the only agency accepting MetroCards, both at its new dual-capable PATH turnstiles and at the JFK AirTrain. 

   Staten Island Borough President Molinaro worked out a deal with a private bus company to drive commuters to the NJ Transit light rail line in Bayonne, from which they could connect to PATH and ferries. Staten Island officials like Congressman Vito Fossella have long sought permanent MTA service to the Bayonne light rail terminus.

   Hoboken Station, bypassed in recent years by new NJ Transit “midtown direct” services and transfers at Secaucus, again became a beehive of commuters seeking PATH and ferry rides. Riders avoided NY Penn Station in favor of the multiple Manhattan stations afforded by PATH and the distributor buses operating from some ferry terminals.  

Coverage

Balance to the “greedy worker” drumbeat maintained by Mayor Bloomberg and a number of newspapers was not easy to come by. Juan Gonzalez’ Daily News columns certainly stood out — one argued that the MTA’s biggest pension problem in fact lies with LIRR contracts negotiated over the past several years, rather than with NYC Transit workers. Other columns attempted to place the conflict within a poisonous daily relationship between MTA labor and management, and in the ongoing income polarization in New York and the U.S. 

   NY Times coverage also provided some of this context, though it could be hard to get to amid the welter of stories each day. 

   It was nearly impossible for a commuter to understand that the MTA’s biggest overall budget woes stem from the extreme borrowing for infrastructure projects triggered by state and city capital budget cuts from the mid-1990s to the present.

   A great number of local television reporters seemed to have next to no knowledge of the basic function and layout of the city’s transportation systems. And why did they keep asking traffic expert Gridlock Sam Schwarz about the progress of a labor negotiation? 

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